All's Fair in Love and Paintball!
by DrawnToTheRhythm
Summary: Cassie wants to go paint balling with SG-1 - only she didnt count on Pete tagging along for the ride!
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer:I don't own SG-1. Don't sue me but please review! :)

"So, Sam, I was thinking," Cassie blurted out around a mouthful of spaghetti, "I've got some free tickets left over from last Summer that need to be used or I'll lose 'em."

Sam smiled encouragingly. For the first time since Janet's death, Cassie was actually starting to get back to her normal outgoing self and whatever Sam needed to agree to to continue it was fine with her.

"Sure, honey, we can do whatever you like. What are the tickets for?"

Cassie grinned.

"Paintball!"

...

"So Cassie wants us to spend next Sunday knee-deep in paint, eh? Cool?" Jack exclaimed with a grin before shoving a piece of pizza into his mouth. It had been many months since they'd last had a team night and he wasn't too proud to admit that he'd missed his former team more than he probably should given his new job.

Daniel rolled his eyes.

"Trust you to think this is a good idea," he moaned, "How is this any different from what we do every single day?"

"Correction," Jack held up a finger, "What you do every day. Have you forgotten that I haven't been through the 'gate, let alone held a weapon in combat, for nearly 3 months?!"

Daniel was about to respond when Teal'c cut him off.

"DanielJackson, what is the purpose of this game?" He enquired, tilting his head towards the younger man.

"Well, Teal'c, it's a team game where you dress up in combat gear and face masks and run around a field filled with obstacles trying to shoot each other with pellets filled with brightly-coloured paint." He raised an eyebrow at Jack, "it's supposed to be fun."

It was Jack's turn to roll his eyes.

"What do you mean supposed to be? What's not to like about paintball?!"

"Have you ever been shot with one of those things?" Daniel protested, "I had to be patched up by a medic the last time I got hit in the visor!"

The sound of keys in the front door made Sam turn her head but the guys were took pre-occupied with their bickering to notice.

"Oh, diddums, did little Danny get a boo boo?" Jack mocked, taking another bite of pizza and washing it down with a mouthful of Guinness. "I think it'll be a great day!"

The living room door opened to reveal Pete with a duffle bag in hand.

"What'll be a great day?" He asked cheerily as 4 surprised faces turned to face him.

"Pete!" Sam exclaimed, jumping up from her cross-legged position on the floor beside Jack and shoving her pizza box to one side. "I wasn't expecting you until tomorrow."

Pete smiled.

"I got off work a little early and I thought I'd surprise you. I didn't realise the whole scooby gang would be here!"

Jack cricked his neck at that comment and Daniel shot him a warning glance. Sam cleared her throat.

"Yeah, it was a long few days so we decided to get pizza." She didn't offer him any, slightly peeved that he'd shown up unannounced and interrupted their evening.

"Mind if I join you guys?" Pete asked, taking a seat next to Teal'c and grabbing a slice of pizza before anyone could respond. Sam eyed her teammates nervously and stared at Pete.

"Uh, sure," she said nervously, "Fancy a beer?"

"No thanks, babe," Jack visibly winced at that, "I'll have a diet soda." Jack's eyebrow raised at Pete's choice of drink. Seriously?

Daniel nudged Jack in the ribs before speaking directly to their newest guest.

"So, Pete, how's Denver?"

Pete spoke around a mouthful of pizza, it wasn't a pretty sight.

"Oh, good thanks, just preparing for my transfer to The Springs." Daniel nodded accommodatingly, "So, what were you guys discussing before I came in?"

Daniel looked at Sam and paused. Before he had chance to answer, Teal'c's deep baritone joined the conversation.

"We were discussing partaking in the recreational activity known as paintball. CassandraFraiser wishes us to travel to "Battleground Paintball" this Sunday to undertake battle."

"Awesome!" Pete exclaimed, "I love paintball! What time are we going, sweetness?"

Ok, now that one was a step too far! Jack thought, watching Sam expectantly waiting for her to correct him. No correction was forthcoming. Huh. Instead, Cassie padded in in a pair of fluffy slippers and pink flowery robe clutching a glass of juice.

"Jeez, would you guys mind keeping it down?" She asked, promptly yawning, "Some of us have work in the morning!"

Jack chuckled,

"I'm not sure your library duties count as work, Cass, don't you just fall asleep between the stacks anyway?"

Jack earned a cushion in the face for his troubles.

"I'll have you know I'm an invaluable member of the staff!" She cried indignantly, "If it wasn't for me, no one on the desk would get a coffee break!"

Pete cleared his throat and Cassie turned in surprise towards him.

"Peter!" She said too brightly. He hated his full name. "When did you get here?"

"Hi Cassie," he said sweetly, "I hope I didn't wake you when I came in. I've just arrived."

Cassie nodded politely but her eyes glazed over.

"Hey, I hear we're going paint balling on Sunday!" He said cheerily as Cassie faltered for a second before a slow smile spread across her face.

"Yeah, actually, we are!"

Sam shifted her weight and chewed a fingernail awkwardly.

"Uh, Cass, I thought you only had 5 tickets?" She asked hopefully. Cassie grinned conspiratorially.

"Nope. Dominic is away at his cousin's this weekend so I have a spare."

Pete clapped his hands together.

"Well that's just fantastic! Gives me a chance to show off my shooting skills."

Jack rolled his eyes unsubtly at that comment. Did he even realise his girlfriend could shoot a moving target between the eyes from 100 yards? Cassie clearly had the same opinion.

"Yeah, well, anyway, I'm just gonna grab a snack and head to bed. Goodnight guys!"

Daniel jumped up and followed Cassie into the kitchen. He glanced back to check that they hadn't been followed by Sam or Pete before speaking in a low whisper.

"What was that?" He quietly demanded. Cassie looked up from her juice and shrugged.

"What?" Daniel gave her a look.

"You know what, young lady!" He hissed, "why did you invite Pete?"

Cassie folded her arms across her chest.

"In case you didn't notice, he invited himself. Besides, I thought it might be fun."

"Cass..." Daniel warned.  
"Oh, for cryin' out loud, Daniel," she hissed back, "I'm not gonna get him killed, I just wanna show Sam a side of him she's never seen before!"

Daniel grimaced.

"That's what I'm worried about!"

Cassie manoeuvred around him with her juice and a cookie in hand and patted him on the arm.

"You worry too much, Uncle Daniel. See you in the morning!"


	2. Chapter 2

Jack's truck pulled up next to a garish neon yellow and pink sign which said "Battleground Paintball". The parking lot was small, maybe 20 spaces at best. How this place stayed in business he wasn't sure. As soon as the ignition was off, Daniel jumped out of the back seat and stretched his arms above his head.

"Jack, do you have any more coffee?" He yawned. "It's 7am on a Sunday, I need something to wake me up."

Jack sighed.

"You drank yours, mine and T's! I tell you what, when we get in there, I'll shoot you in the ass with a paintball, that should wake you up."

Frowning, Daniel headed for the trailer van in the corner of the lot which smelled of grease and burned bacon fat in search of the dark, scalding liquid which was his lifeline.

Sam's car pulled up 10 minutes later and Cassie jumped out and ran over to Jack's truck.

"Uncle Jack!" She screamed, a little too loudly for the time of morning, "I brought my knee pads and the gloves you gave me," she said, wiggling her fingers in front of his face clad in Jack's old, worn fingerless leather gloves,"turns out they did come in handy after all!"

Jack grinned at her but his grin faded when Pete suddenly appeared at her side.

"Morning, General!" He exclaimed, and Jack winced and waved a hand dismissively.

"Morning... Detective." He glanced around searching for Sam who was standing by the burger van with Daniel who handed her a steaming polystyrene cup. She held it between her hands gleefully and began sipping. Gesturing to Sam he stood up, "I'm just gonna grab a cup myself."

Pete nodded brusquely.

"No worries, I came prepared," he said proudly tapping the brushed metal tumbler in his hand, "you never know what the coffee will be like in these places!"

Jack nodded sarcastically.

"Yeah, sure. Well I'll just be..." He trailed off and walked towards Sam. Just as he approached her, she laughed at something Daniel had said and stepped backwards bumping into Jack's chest. He placed a hand on her arm to steady her and her face flushed ruby red as she spun and her shocked eyes rose up to meet his, quickly looking away. She said something that Pete couldn't make out from this distance but his posture stiffened as Sam dug her toe awkwardly into the ground behind her, twisting her knee for side to side and he notice idly that Jack still gently held her arm. The way Jack's eyes searched her face...

"So, Pete, you ever done this before?" Cassie interrupted his thoughts and bounced in front of him, blocking his view.

"Huh?"

"You ever played this game before?"

Pete shook himself.

"I, ah, yeah, once or twice. With the guys from my squad. Usually kick their asses too!" He beamed proudly, the previous few moments shoved to the back of his mind. Cassie laughed.

"Yeah, well, don't be too sure of yourself, Peter. Teal'c's been doing this for longer than you've been alive and Uncle Jack is a machine!"

Pete frowned at Cassie's assessment of Jack and stared across the lot at him animatedly gesturing to Sam and Daniel. Sam was giggling. He had to have at least 10 years on himself and Sam. There was no way he was gonna get beaten by a pensioner, military or no! His jaw set firmly and Cassie grinned slyly to herself as she noticed the direction he was looking in and the determined look in his eyes. Oh this was gonna be one hell of a show!


	3. Chapter 3

"Alright everyone, listen up!" The Marshall yelled to the small group gathered around him. "There are only 3 rules: no shooting anyone above the shoulders, no shooting outside the klaxons at the beginning and end and, whatever happens, do not remove your visor for any reason. I'm only gonna say this once, anyone caught breaking the rules will be moved from the area immediately and have your day pass revoked. No second chances, no refunds. It's for you own safety, folks!" He looked around at the group of masked adults and the teenager. "Everyone clear on that? Great stuff, now lets move to the first battle ground!"

He waved his paintball gun in the air to signal which direction to walk in and headed off ahead of the group.

Jack lead in his green forest camo BDUs, followed closely by Daniel, Teal'c then Sam. Pete and Cassie followed behind, Pete in green slacks and a bright orange and white "I've honked my horn at hooters" T-shirt. Jack wondered how this guy made it past beat cop. They stopped at the edge of a wooded field.

"Ok," the Marshall yelled, "first game is a two-man team. Pair up and the last team with a member standing wins!"

Before Pete could reach Sam, Cassie linked his arm and pulled him towards her.

"Peter, will you be on my team? Please?" She widened her eyes pleadingly. He looked up at a surprised Sam and shrugged his shoulders.

"Uh, sure Cassie, if that's ok with Sam?" He looked to her for approval. Sam nodded.

"No problem, Pete. I'll team up with one of the guys."

Jack, who had overheard the entire conversation, yelled over to Sam.

"Carter!" She turned to look at him, "Daniel's with Teal'c, you're with me!"

Pete watched as Sam smiled faintly and nodded sharply.

"Yes, Sir!"

With that, she about turned and headed for the tree line with Jack. Cassie dragged Pete behind a nearby bush.

"Jack says always make sure you can see the enemy position from wherever you hide. You always need someone watching your six!"

Pete peered out from behind the shrubbery to see Jack signal to Sam to follow him behind a large tree trunk as they turned back to back, their shoulders and hips in perfect alignment. He frowned when Cassie grabbed his t shirt and pulled him back behind cover.

An air horn sounded to signal the start of the games and Pete stuck his head out again in time to see Sam and Jack sink to the ground and disappear behind the tree. Damn!

...

Jack signalled for Sam to follow him along the tree line where he could see Daniel's glasses glinting in the sun on the other side of the compound. He took aim and shot once before crouching down. A yell from Daniel confirmed the shot. Grinning he aimed a second at his friend which also hit the target. Another shot and he'd be out.

One down, three more to go.

Sam looked around for Teal'c but couldn't see him. No surprise there. Just as she went to move off, Jack grabbed her tac vest and pulled her down to the ground, covering her torso with his own. Just as she hit the deck, a barrage of paintballs came from behind an upturned pallet. Teal'c.

From where Pete sat still behind the bush, he could see the paintball fire from Teal'c and Jack lying on top of Sam. He face began to turn an interesting shade of purple. If he didn't know any better, he'd swear that there was something going on with Jack and it appeared as though he had designs on his fiancée. Pete was no fool. He knew how to read the tactile gestures of a man on a mission. It was then that Pete decided to take matters into his own hands. He stood and took a couple of shots at Jack, both of which he missed, and returned under cover to wait for another chance. Again, another two shots missed. Jack gestured for Sam to take cover to his left and moved to the right himself. Pete tried to go around the back of Jack, not caring that he was leaving Cassie undefended.

He reached Jack just as the air horn sounded and levelled his paintball gun point blank at Jack.

"Guns down!" The Marshall yelled across at Pete. "No second warning!"

By this point, Pete had seen red. He threw his gun to one side on the ground and marched towards Jack, raising his fist. He took a swing at Jack which he dodged easily and reached out to grab Pete. Pete took a second swing at Jack's head which Jack again manoeuvred around and his arm shot out to grab Pete's outstretched arm, bringing it quickly behind his back. Jack used Pete's momentum to swing him face-down into the mud and pin him to the ground.

By this point Carter had been alerted to the scuffle by Daniel and Cassie's cries of "Jack!And "Peter!" And ran across to the scuffling pair. Both were on the ground scrabbling in the mud, Pete trying to wrestle himself from Jack's grip and Jack pinning him to the ground.

"Easy! Hey Pete, what the hell is up with you?!" Jack yelled at him, confused.

Pete turned his head to Jack.

"What's up with me?" He spat angrily, "I've just watched you throw yourself, quite literally, on top of my fiancée and you're asking me what my problem is?! Samantha is your subordinate, keep your hands to yourself!"

Jack's grip tightened.

"I don't know what the hell you think you saw, Shanahan, but you'd better not say that again if you want to go home in one piece!"

Sam rushed up to the pair and growled angrily.

"What the hell is going on here?! Sir!" She turned to him with a fierce glint in her eyes.

Jack stared back equally as fiercely.

"Ask your fiancé here, Carter! He just decided to take a swing at me. Apparently I've somehow offended his sensibilities!"

Carter grabbed Pete's arm.

"Please, let him go." She grabbed Pete herself and dragged him mud and all to his feet.

"What the hell is going on with you?!" She demanded of him. at least Pete had the decency to look cowed somewhat.

"He...he... Grabbed your arm and then threw himself on top of you!" He yelled, gesturing wildly at Jack. "Sam, he was clearly trying to cop a feel!"

Sam's grip tightened and her voice lowered angrily.

"Pete, how many times do I have to say this? I am not involved in any kind of inappropriate behaviour with my CO!"

Jack looked as though he'd been hit by a brick.

"Pete, I think you had better leave. Now!" She added sternly.

"But Sam-"

"I don't want to hear it. You've embarrassed me enough today. God, how easy do you think I am? Get away from me!" She yelled at him.

By now her teammates and Cassie had circled her defensively and Pete backed down.

"Ok, if that's what you want, Sammie. But remember I was only trying to protect you."

"She doesn't need protecting from anyone but you!" Cassie screamed, standing in front of Sam. "I always knew you were bad news and today you finally proved it."

Sam handed him her car keys.

"You can drive yourself back to the house and pick up your car. I'll get a lift home with General O'Neill. I expect you and your things to be gone when I get home. Understood?"

Pete opened his mouth to argue when Daniel placed a hand on his chest.

"A wise man would know when a 300lb Jaffa is about to rip you to pieces if you don't do as Sam asks."

Dejectedly Pete took off his visor and threw it on the ground.

"I'm sorry, babe. Look, I'll call you and we can sort this out."

Sam pointed to the parking lot.

"See you around, Pete."

He nodded and turned, his shoulders slumped as he disappeared through the trees.

Sam turned to Jack.

"I'm so sorry, Sir. Are you hurt?"

Jack laughed.

"As if that schmuck could do any damage!" He stroked Sam's arm. "I'm sorry Sam."

Sam placed her hand over his.

"You didn't do anything!"

The Marshall cleared his throat.

"I'm afraid I'm gonna have to ask you all to leave" he said, gesturing to the door.

Cassie grabbed Sam's arm.

"Let's go grab lunch, I need some food after that!"

SG-1 walked towards the entrance, removing their kit as they went. So much for a fun day out!


End file.
